As employer branding grows in importance, employers need to be aware of how candidates and employees view not just their candidate experience but the employee experience as a whole. Employer review sites are growing in popularity as candidates follow consumer trends sharing their experiences and opinion on review sites focused on employers.

Employee Review Sites Like Glassdoor and Indeed

Reviews sites like the ones listed below (including Glassdoor and Indeed) are seen as a more trusted resource because of the feedback and insights they provide albeit anonymous by candidates, employees and peers. These reviews are voluntarily which lends to their credibility among other candidates, peers and employees. Edelman’s most recent 2016 research on the impact of trust on an brand found that technical experts are the most trusted and credible individual representing an organization or brand which is critical in establishing a healthy and employment brand. A company’s employment brand is viewed as more credible when peers and technical experts are providing insights and feedback more so than employees or the CEO.

Who exactly is a trusted expert when it comes to employer review sites? Well, that’s where things get a little murky. Technical experts might include fellow job seekers who are often peers. Edelman’s research tells us that peers, employees and technical experts are more trusted and credible than CEO and business leaders. This simple fact fuels the power of the employer review sites. Employees want to know what they are getting to not just before they are starting their job but before they apply for the job opening.

I’ve put together a list of review sites employers should consider listening and monitoring ongoing.

Glassdoor – Offers an anonymous review site as well as a job search resource for job seekers and web visitors.

FairyGodBoss – Employer review site for women. Lots of great opportunit for employers to engage women in the workplace.

Google Reviews – Google managed most often consumer reviews. These reviews are powered by the most popular search engine and are worth monitoring.

Indeed– Offers an anonymous review section of their website in addition to a forum, job postings and the ability for job seekers to upload their resume.

Yelp – This site is most known for customer reviews. However, it is important for employers to monitor for reviews and feedback.

JobCase – Very active hourly work community, forum and employee reviews by location.

RateMyEmployer – Canada employer review site that has over 45,000 candidate and employee reviews.

Kununu.com– This international review site has its roots in Germany and has recently launched in the United States.

Facebook Page Reviews. Your Facebook Fan Page has the ability to have reviews whether you are selling a product service or on your company career page.

TheJobCrowd – Employer reviews for recent college graduates. Includes salary information, graduate career information and employer lists and resources.

Vault.com – Company ranking and review site. Includes rankings for colleges, internships and schools too.

Comparably– Free for employers to set up pages. Includes compensation, company review and culture.

InHerSight – Employer review site for women. Scorecards for employers on how female friendly their organization is.

CareerBliss– Review site for compensation, job search and company review informaiton.

Xing.com– Company review site that offers job search information. Focused primarily in Germany and European markets.

LinkedIn– Currently in beta. LinkedIn will soon begin offering to the every employer a review and ratings page as part of their company LinkedIn page.

Review sites like these are important because they are becoming a more important and trusted part of not just the job offer and interview process but the entire candidate engagement process that extends beyond the traditional application transaction and begins from the moment the prospective candidate begins to consider your company as an option for employment.

Chances are your marketing team is monitoring your company’s social media and online mentions which makes the ability to monitor sites like those shared above easier. HR and recruiting will need to work with marketing to determine if, when and how to respond to reviews and comments directly. Most candidates and employees understand employers are not perfect and therefore might encounter negative reviews. I still dine at restaurants on Yelp with less than four stars. Candidates like customers are watching to see how employers handle negative reviews and constructive suggestions which makes it important for employers to show they are listening, taking inventory and making changes to their processes or way of thinking.

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Jessica Miller-Merrell

Jessica Miller-Merrell (@jmillermerrell) is a workplace change agent, author and consultant focused on human resources and talent acquisition living in Austin, TX. Recognized by Forbes as a top 50 social media influencer and is a global speaker. She’s the founder of Workology, a workplace HR resource and host of the Workology Podcast.

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